Generic prior art is disclosed in US 2003/0147729 A1. This document relates to a machine tool having a workpiece support that is unloaded by a handling device arranged beside a workpiece support. The workpiece support supports a workpiece that is intended to be processed and can together move in a throat region of a machine frame of a machine tool along an upper and a lower frame leg. The workpiece is moved transversely relative to the movement direction of the workpiece support by clamping claws that fix the workpiece and that together with the workpiece move transversely relative to the movement direction of the workpiece support. The workpiece to be processed is positioned in the manner required for the processing operation in a horizontal plane with respect to a processing tool of the machine tool.
The workpiece support of the previously known machine tool is divided in two portions, wherein a separation gap extends in the longitudinal direction of the lower frame leg between the two support portions at the height of the processing tool provided on the lower frame member. One of the support portions is associated with the handling device and accordingly forms an unloading-side support portion.
After the processing of a workpiece, a processed product that has been produced during the workpiece processing operation is moved by the movable clamping claws onto the unloading-side support portion. Together with the processed product, the unloading-side support portion moves over a horizontal platform of the handling device. Subsequently, the processed product is gripped by a gripper of the handling device and the unloading-side support portion is moved away from the handling device and in this instance pulled out below the processed product. The processed product is consequently under the action of gravitational force placed on the horizontal platform of the handling device arranged below the processed product.